Bricklaying machine



Nov. 26, 1929. J. N. YOUNGBLOOD 1,736,812

BRICKLAYING MACHINE Filed Jan. 18, 1929. 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Nov. 26, 1929. J. N. YOUNGBLOOD BRICKLAYING MACHINE Filed Jan. 18, 1929 gwwm JZIZ l azuyblmd Patented Nov. 26, 1929 PATENT GFFEQE JASPER N. YOUNGBLOOD, OF FLETCHER, NORTH CAROLINA BRICKLAYING MACHINE Application filed January 18, 1928.

This invention aims to provide a simple means whereby bricks may be taken up, transported to a wall, and laid in the wall, mortar being deposited on each course, and the mor tar being trowelled off and smoothed down, to make a good bed for the next succeeding course of bricks.

It is within the province of the disclosure to improve generally and to enhance the utility of devices of that type to which the invention appertains.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, may be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings Figure 1 shows in elevation, a device constructed in accordance with the invention, parts being broken away;

Figure 2 is an elevation wherein the device is viewed at right angles to the showing of Figure 1, the assembling table appearing as an added detail;

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view of the brick carrier;

Figure 4: is an elevation of the brick carrier, parts being broken away;

, Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view show; ing the mortar hod in place on the brick carrier,

' Figure 6 is a cross sectional View on the line66 of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is an end view of the hod and attendant parts;

Figure 8 is a sectional view showing certain walls of the brick carrier, this figure being taken on the line 88 or Figure 9.

Figure 9 is an elevation showing that part of the brick carrier which is depicted in Figure 8;

Figure 10 is a perspective view of the assembling table;

Figure 11 is a section taken about on the line 11-11 of Figure 5;

Serial No. 247,677.

contour of the brick carrier being shown best in Figure 3, and Figure 1 giving a very good general idea as to how the brick carrier looks in elevation. The brick carrier 1 may be of any desired length, and some prefer to have the carrier as long as the wall that is being laid up. The brick carrier may be of any desired length, however.

The brick carrier 1 comprises parallel walls 2 and 3, and a lid 4 which is connected to the upper edge of the wall 2 by hinges 5. Springs 6 are interposed in the hinges 5, at intervals, as Figure 1 will show, and the purpose of the springs 6 is to aid the operator in raising the lid 4 of the brick carrier 1 from the closed position of Figure 3 to the opened position of Figure 6. There are de pending spring tongues 9 on the free edge of the lid 4, one tongue for every brick. The ends 10 of the tongues 9 bear against the Wall 3 of the brick carrier 1, as in Figure 3, and the tongues 9 are curved as at 11, to bear against the bricks 12 and shove the bricks to the right in Figure 3, against the Wall 2, thereby to line up the bricks for laying in the wall.

lVithin the brick carrier 1 are channelshaped tracks 7 and 8, along which the mortar-distributing hod moves, as hereinafter described, a casual inspection of Figure 5 being invited at this point. The track 7 fits up against the wall 2, as shown in Figure 3 but the track 8 is separated a little from the wall 3 to leave room for the tongues 9. Spacers 14 are interposed between the wall 3 and the track 8, and securing elements 15 pass through the wall 3, the spacers 14, the track 8, the track 7, and the wall 2, the securing elements having shoulders 16 that engage the tracks 8 and 7, a rigid structure resulting.

A plate-like wing 17 is provided and has on its lower edge a rectangular flange 18 which extends under the string of bricks 12, and, with the tongues 9, holds the bricks ets 23 which are secured to the wing l'l. The

result is thatwhen the rod 20. is rotated, the wing 17 is swung in and out, to engage theflange 18 under the bricks 12, when'th'e bricks are picked up, and to disengage the flange 18 from underenath the bricks, when the bricks are to be placed in the mortar on the wall. For theready turning of the hinge rod 20, toniove the flange 18 in out with regard to the bricks 12, the rod 20 is provided at one end, or elsewhere, with a handle 22 which can be seen in Figure 6.

wall'3 of the brick carrier is supplied with upstandingperforated ears27, and ears 25 are secured to the wall 2. The ears 25 are offset as shown at 26 in Figure 3. This is done so that the lid 4 of the brick carrier can be swungback-out of the Way, as seen in Figure 6, when it is desired to move the mortar hod 37 of Figure 5, along the tracks 7 8. Any suitable means may be provided for movingthe brick carrier 1 to and from the walls where the bricks are to be laid, and often, recourse is had to tongs 28 that are engaged with the holes in the ears 27 and 25, the upper-ends of the tongs being connected by links 29 With'hooks 30 on hoists 31 which are connected to wheel-mounted trucks 32 adapted to move along tracks 33.

At any convenient place, an assembling table 34 islocated, and the cheapest sort of unskilled labor may be employed to place the bricks 12 on the table 34 against an abutment strip 35onjthe table 34, there being spacing ribs 36'tl1at project from the abutment str p 35, the ribs 36 serving to space the bricks 1n accordance with the distance which is to exist between them in the completed wall. After the bricks have been arranged in a string on the assembling table 34, the brick-carrier l is lowered until the bricks are between the walls 2. and 3, the flange18 of .the hinged wing 17 is engaged beneath the bricks, and the lid 4 is closed, the tongues 11 on the lid crowding over the bricks, and lining them up' aga nst the wall 2. The brick carrier is raised by means of the hoists 31 and the trucks 32 are run alongihetracks 33 until the brick carrier is over the proper place in the wall. Then the brick carrier 1 is lowered onto' the mprtar of an inferior course, as shown in F gure 4. The lid 4 is opened as in Figure 6, and the mortar hod 37 is placed onthe tracks 78 as in Figures 5, 6 and 7. There is an opening 38 in the bottom Of theihod 37, ear t h o end ofiihe h dtw hecopen gfi being controlled by a gate 39 that can be swung to and from a closed position, by means of a handle 40. Through the opening 38, and through other openings 41 in the bottom of the hod 37, the mortar is deposited on the bricks. as the hod 37 is slid along the tracks 78, the mortar being carried downinto the cracks between the extremities'of the bricks 12 by inclined trowels 42, the reduced ends 43 of which are journaled in the side walls of the hod 37. One end portion 43 of each trowel 42 has an arm 44 to which is pivoted an operating'member 45, in the form of a rod provided withan opening 46, the operating member having resiliency enough so that it can be sprung to engage the hole 46 with a keeper 47 on the hod 37 thereby to hold the trowels 42 closed with respect to the openings 41. The openings 41 are closed, as aforesaid, and the opening 38 is closed, by the gate 39, whilst the hod 37 is being placed onthe tracks 7*8 or is being removed fromthe, tracks. The layer of mortar on the bricks 12 is finished off by a smoother'48 (Figure 7) in the form of a plate having'vertically elongated slots 49 adapted to receive headed guides 50 that connect the smoother 48 With the end of the box-like hod 37. The smoother 48ycan be adjusted vertically, and after the adjustment, it can be held in adjusted position by clamping devices 51, such as studs and wing nuts, mounted on the end of 'the'hodfi'z the studs being received in the slots 49 of the smoother 48. Some brick masons prefer to have a groove in the mortar, such asa brick mason makes with a hand trowel and those who have that view are at liberty to use the smoother 52 of Figure 12, the smoother having a projection 54 on its lower edge for the making of the groove in the mortar, theslots 53 correspondingin function to the slots 49 of Figure7. r

After the bricks have been placed, and the mortar distributed through'the instrumentality of the hod 37, the hod is removed from the tracks 78, the wing 17 is swung to the right in Figure 3 to disengage the flange 18 from beneath the ,string of'bricks, the ,carrier 1 is raised off the wall by the hoists31,

and is carried by the trucks 32 and the tracks 33 to the assembling table 34, where the carrier 1 again is loaded with bricks as and for the purpose hereinbefore described.

lVhat' is claimed is 1. In a brick laying machine, a carrier comprising a releasable brick holder, thecar-rier having a hinged lid. and meanson the lidand entering within the carrier when the lidis closed for engaging the bricksjand moving them transversely against onepart of the car- M rier, thereby to line up the bricks for laying leasably, and spring means carried by the lid and engaging the bricks when the lid is closed to move the bricks transversely against the brick gage and to line them up for laying in a Wall.

3. In a brick laying machine, a brick carrier comprising a gage, a movable holder including a member located below but closely adjacent to the gage and engagable beneath one side of a line of bricks that are in abutment With the gage, and means under the control of an operator and engaging the opposite side of the line of bricks, to move the line of bricks against the gage and to keep the line of bricks on said member, the holder being movable to disengage said member from beneath the line of bricks and to permit the line of bricks to move downwardly clear of said means and clear of the gage.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixed my signature. JASPER N. YOUNGBLOOD. 

